Experience

Here are just a few noteworthy
accomplishments.

Using
Technology to sell: California Raisins.
When we started working with the California
raisin industry, there were two types of
breads -- those with and without
raisins. Our mission was to drive new
raisin products to the marketplace. We
analyzed the chemical, physical and
aesthetic characteristics of the quality
raisin and discovered many reasons why the
raisin would work well in food
products: The Organic acids in the
raisin helped heighten flavors in breads and
sauces in lieu of salts and participial
flavor enhancers. Naturally occurring prop ionic
acid in the raisin helped slow mold in
breads, adding shelf like
naturally We took the
information from the labs and communicated
through food trade magazines, trade shows
and newsletters. In just two years,
the California raisin was used in more than
95 new products, and sales soared!
Manufactures found they could add California
raisins, reduce preservatives and additive s
and improve the consumer perception of the
product naturally! (case
study)

Health Benefits
to the Marketplace: Canadian Flaxseed. TJPMD
has worked with the Flax growers in Canada
to help introduce this wonder seed to the US
baking and poultry industry. this included
formula development, expositions and
meetings with food processing
companies. When we started, the shipments
were at around 70 metric tons. today
the industry is shipping more than 100,000
metric tons a year to the edible market in
the USA and flax is becoming a mainstream
item!

Taking
blueberries off the charts! TJPMD works
with the producers of highbush blueberries
in the USA and Canada. Ten years ago,
highbush blueberries were relegated to
seasonal fresh sales. Now, TJPMD has
helped the industry develop a health business
in the food processing trade, identifying
the advantages of the blueberry and sending
the message to the largest companies n the
world. The key has been identification
of the true health virtues of the blueberry,
packaging and sending the message in a
believable manner to the opinion leaders at
the leading food companies. Today the
highbush blueberry industry is selling the
largest crops of blueberries ever at the
best prices. Export markets have soared
especially in Japan and Iceland where we are
working. We are picking off new export
markets one by one and predict a healthy
future for the blueberry industry for years
to come. (current
activities)

Afghanistan
- TJP is working in the Helmand River Valley
with the Central Asia Development group to
help revitalize the cotton sector.
This includes a test farm, development of an
extension system and marketing activities
around the world. (project
web) We are one of the first US
firms to work in this area.

China (PRC)
- TJPMD worked with the Almond Board of
California to introduce California Almonds
to China in 1998. We set up a
promotions network in ten cities nationwide
conducting seminars and working with small
bakeries. (case study) TJPMD brought a European
trained marzipan expert to China to show the
chefs how to make this value added
ingredient with relatively inexpensive
California almonds. These seminars
helped drive demand for millions of lbs of
almonds and now California almonds are a
staple in the Chinese baking and confectionery
industry. (case
study)

East Timor - TJP
is getting ready for marketdevelopment
activities in this new country to capitalize
on regional and local
connections.

India -
TJP worked on behalf of the Indian
government on market research and
development for Indian snack foods for the
Asian, Eastern European and US Markets.
We also helped the California raisin
industry with market recon and research in
North and South India.

Indonesia
- TJP worked on 24 different research
projects for the Indonesian government for agricultural
diversification. This included items from
coconut to tapioca and banana chips.
TJP advised the nation's ministries of trade
on small business and trade issues and
maintains good relations with Indonesian
suppliers and exporters.

Israel -
TJPMD introduced California walnuts to
Israel in 1990. We initiated market
research and promotional campaigns including
seminars, advertising and other activities.

Japan - TJPMD helped introduce
blueberries to Japan. Spreading information
on the health benefits through advertising
and promotions to the trade, shipments have
gone from 600 metric tons to more than 6,000
in Just five years.

Korea (North)
- TJP has been working the northern border
of China and north Korea with Chinese firms
and is considered an expert in the fledgling
North Korean business and
economy.

Malaysia -
TJPMD has worked in Malaysia on behalf of
California raisin growers, conducting seminars
and presentations to food processors on
value added ingredients.

Oman
- TJP conducted market research on the Omani
trade of honey for the US producers.

Pakistan
- TJP Conducted market research on the
feasibility of US honey imports to
Pakistan.

Russian
Far East - TJP has conducted research
and marketing activities in the Russian far
east including Magadan and Vladiviostok.

Taiwan - TJP
has more than 15 years of marketing activity
in Taiwan. This includes introducing
California Walnuts, conducting seminars for
food processors on California Raisins and
our latest activity: introduction and
promotion of highbush blueberries. We
know the trade, the players and the markets.

Central African
Republic - TJPMD worked on behalf
of the World Bank to identify exportable
food items from this land locjked Afican
country and worked with exporters on
startup.

Madagascar
- TJPMD worked on behalf of the World Bank
to perform a global structural
analysis of the vanilla trade.
This work helped provided information that
has helped the industry reform, develop new
markets and row worldwide. We also
conducted seminars on export marketing and
sales to the Malagasy vanilla
producers.

Mozambique
- TJPMD worked on behalf of US AID to
perform an analysis of the Mozambique cashew
industry. TJPMD traveled to the cashew
growing regions, met with producers and
prepared analysis and recommendations for
market adjustment and
development.

Republic of
South Africa - TJPMD hjas worked
as an advisor to the Industrial Development
Corporation (IDC) of South Africa on
agricultural issue and matters. We
have assisted the IDC on product analysis,
market analysis and development activities
of various crops and experimental
projects.

Estonia - TJP
orchestrated the first shipment of cut roses
from California to Estonia in 1988. Whilemeeting
with an Estonian importer one dark winter
day in Helsinki, Tom overheard a comment
that Estonians imported substantial amounts
of roses from South America, especially on
or around their International
Women's Day holiday (March 8).
That year they were getting squeezed for
higher prices from the lone supplier in
Columbia. Later on that month, Tom met
with rose growers in California and
discovered that Rose growers in Monterey
County geared up substantial production for
St. Valentines Day in February, and were perennially
stuck with over supply afterwards. See
the picture: two weeks before the Estonian
holiday! TJP worked with the supplier,
to arrange roses, transportation to the
International airport in San Francisco and
onto Tallinn. We learned the cut
flower business rapidly and within a month
succeeded in conducting 11 shipments of
California roses to Tallinn, Estonia.
To top things off, TJP purchased a full page
ad in the daily newspaper in Tallinn
announcing the arrival of the first shipment
of fresh roses from their friends in the
United States!

Faroe Islands
-

France -

Germany -

Greece -

Hungary -

Iceland - TJP
is one of the only US consultants working in
this wonderful Island nation perched half
way between North America and Europe.
In 1998 TJP visited Iceland on behalf of the
blueberry growers in North America.
The hunch was that since Iceland imported
almost all non-fish and dairy food products,
that there could be a potential market for
air freighted fresh blueberries from the
East coast of the USA and Canada. In addition,
our research indicated that Icelanders did
share the Scandinavian tradition of picking
wild berries in the summer months. TJP
became an instant expert on Iceland,
arranged meetings with the major importers
and manufacturers and traveled to the
Iceland to start up the market. We
fund that the Icelanders were waiting for
fresh blueberries and thrilled that anyone
from the USA would take the time to
visit. We found that the segmentation
of the different store chains i Iceland
required different brands of blueberries for
each store -- something different than other
markets. We worked with US and Canadian
producers to establish different brands for
lower to high class and exquisite
stores. We also worked on promotions
with the chains. To top things off we
ran daily newspaper advertisements in
Morganbladid, DV and Vikin Women's magazine
to announce the arrival of the first
blueberries from north America! Today,
Iceland imports more than 180metric tons of
fresh blueberries per season -- The third
leading market for fresh blueberries in the
world, and the highest per capita
consumption market in the world. Now
we are working on the food processing
industry in Iceland which is an ideal target
for frozen blueberries!

Canada - TJP
has worked in the Canadian market for the
past 16 years for Canadian firms, and also
for US firms entering the Canadian
markets. We are also strong in French
Speaking Canada and the Canadian Arctic
where we have worked the Inuit people on
marketing of Arctic Char to the Far East.

Cuba - TJP
has worked with agriculturalists in Cuba on
product assessment and market
development. We are also now
working in the island nation on behalf of
the California raisin growers. (yes
that is Tom with President Fidel Castro on a
recent visit to Cuba).

Honduras
- TJPMD worked with USAID and Land O Lakes
on the Honduran Dairy project in La Cieba
and San Pedro Sula, Honduras. TJPMD
worked with farmers and developed extension
activities to help present the project to
the constituents and dairy
industry.

Mexico
- TJPMD has worked in Mexico for the past 16
years and has extensive contact in the
food industry. We have a ongoing
collaboration with a food scientist in
Mexico City who assists with translation, marketing
and research activities. We have
helped introduce California walnuts and USA
processed egg products into Mexico as well
as Canadian Flaxseed to the poultry and
baking industries.

Peru - TJP
works with growers of specialty chile
peppers in the Topara Valley of Southern
Peru on development and exportation and
sales of product. We worked on seed
collection, farming operations, product
development, packaging and labels,
exportation and sales development in the USA
and abroad. Our Inca Flame product won
top prize at the 1998 Fiery Foods Festival
in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (view)

Uruguay - TJP
worked for the Uruguay Siglo 2000 Agricultural
Export Foundation to explore opportunities
for Uruguayan farm products in North America.